How do I search Google Spreadsheets?

Question

I am doing a few exhaustive searches and need to determine if a new domain (URL) is already in a Spreadsheet. However, none of the Spreadsheet objects have search functions, namely findText() found in most Document objects. I feel like I am missing something significant. What am I missing?

findText function: https://developers.google.com/apps-script/class_table#findText

SearchResult object: https://developers.google.com/apps-script/class_searchresult

Spreadsheet object: https://developers.google.com/apps-script/class_sheet

My best guess is to try and convert specific Spreadsheet ranges in Document tables, then perform the search. Mendokusai

Could you provide a bit more info such as is it a single spreadsheet and are the urls to be searched in specific columns in how many sheets. There are a number of ways to approach the problem depending on the layout. Inserting a table into a document and then searching that is probably not the best way to go. If more than one spreadsheet, are all the spreadsheets in the same folder? — ScampMichael, May 29 '12 at 23:38
Also, do you need to know the location of the url if it is found or just that it exists in the spreadsheet? — ScampMichael, May 29 '12 at 23:44
see Google Query Language, https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/querylanguage — John Henckel, Mar 04 '19 at 01:57

score 9 · Accepted Answer · answered May 30 '12 at 20:11

Unfortunately there is no searching functionality in the Spreadsheet services. You can get the data for the range you are searching on, and then iterate over it looking for a match. Here's a simple function that does that:

/**
 * Finds a value within a given range. 
 * @param value The value to find.
 * @param range The range to search in.
 * @return A range pointing to the first cell containing the value, 
 *     or null if not found.
 */
function find(value, range) {
  var data = range.getValues();
  for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
    for (var j = 0; j < data[i].length; j++) {
      if (data[i][j] == value) {
        return range.getCell(i + 1, j + 1);
      }
    }
  }
  return null;
}

As painful as it seems, this is probably the only workable solution. — harvest316, Nov 06 '12 at 09:08
I opened a feature request for a find function on spreadsheets. [3362](https://code.google.com/p/google-apps-script-issues/issues/detail?id=3362) — Jacobvdb, Nov 01 '13 at 18:43

Serge insas · Answer 2 · 2012-05-30T08:37:09.060

I wrote a search tool with a graphical user interface that performs a global search in 3 columns of a single sheet. It could be easily modified to suit your needs. I guess it would be a good idea to add an anchor in the UI to let you open the url you just found. Here is the code, hoping it will help you to design your own version.

EDIT : I added the anchor widget in the code below (getting its ref in column E)

// G. Variables
var sh = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
var lastrow = ss.getLastRow();
//
function onOpen() {
  var menuEntries = [ {name: "Search GUI", functionName: "searchUI"},
                     ];
  ss.addMenu("Search Utilities",menuEntries);// custom menu
}
// Build a simple UI to enter search item and show results + activate result's row
function searchUI() {
  var app = UiApp.createApplication().setHeight(130).setWidth(400);
  app.setTitle("Search by name / lastname / adress");
  var panel = app.createVerticalPanel();
  var txtBox = app.createTextBox().setFocus(true);
  var label=app.createLabel(" Item to search for :")
  panel.add(label);
  txtBox.setId("item").setName("item");
  var label0=app.createLabel("Row").setWidth("40");
  var label1=app.createLabel("Name").setWidth("120");
  var label2=app.createLabel("Lastname").setWidth("120");
  var label3=app.createLabel("Street").setWidth("120");
  var hpanel = app.createHorizontalPanel();
  hpanel.add(label0).add(label1).add(label2).add(label3)
//
  var txt0=app.createTextBox().setId("lab0").setName("0").setWidth("40");
  var txt1=app.createTextBox().setId("lab1").setName("txt1").setWidth("120");
  var txt2=app.createTextBox().setId("lab2").setName("txt2").setWidth("120");
  var txt3=app.createTextBox().setId("lab3").setName("txt3").setWidth("120");
  var hpanel2 = app.createHorizontalPanel();
  hpanel2.add(txt0).add(txt1).add(txt2).add(txt3)
  var hidden = app.createHidden().setName("hidden").setId("hidden");
  var subbtn = app.createButton("next ?").setId("next").setWidth("250");
  var link = app.createAnchor('', '').setId('link');
  panel.add(txtBox);
  panel.add(subbtn);
  panel.add(hidden);
  panel.add(hpanel);
  panel.add(hpanel2);
  panel.add(link);
  var keyHandler = app.createServerHandler("click");
  txtBox.addKeyUpHandler(keyHandler)
  keyHandler.addCallbackElement(panel);
//
  var submitHandler = app.createServerHandler("next");
  subbtn.addClickHandler(submitHandler);
  submitHandler.addCallbackElement(panel);
//
  app.add(panel);  
  ss.show(app);
  }
//
function click(e){
   var row=ss.getActiveRange().getRowIndex();              
   var app = UiApp.getActiveApplication();
   var txtBox = app.getElementById("item");
   var subbtn = app.getElementById("next").setText("next ?")      
   var txt0=app.getElementById("lab0").setText('--');
   var txt1=app.getElementById("lab1").setText('no match').setStyleAttribute("background", "white");// default value to start with
   var txt2=app.getElementById("lab2").setText('');
   var txt3=app.getElementById("lab3").setText('');
   var link=app.getElementById('link').setText('').setHref('')
   var item=e.parameter.item.toLowerCase(); // item to search for
   var hidden=app.getElementById("hidden")                  
   var data = sh.getRange(2,2,lastrow,4).getValues();// get the 4 columns of data
       for(nn=0;nn<data.length;++nn){ ;// iterate trough
         if(data[nn].toString().toLowerCase().match(item.toString())==item.toString()&&item!=''){;// if a match is found in one of the 4 fields, break the loop and show results
          txt0.setText(nn+2);
          txt1.setText(data[nn][0]).setStyleAttribute("background", "cyan");
          txt2.setText(data[nn][1]);
          txt3.setText(data[nn][2]);
          link.setText(data[nn][3]).setHref(data[nn][3]);
          sh.getRange(nn+2,2).activate();
          subbtn.setText("found '"+item+"' in row "+Number(nn+2)+", next ?");
          hidden.setValue(nn.toString())                                                                                  
          break
          }
      }
return app    ;// update UI
}
function next(e){
   var row=ss.getActiveRange().getRowIndex();              
   var app = UiApp.getActiveApplication();
   var txtBox = app.getElementById("item");
   var subbtn = app.getElementById("next").setText("no other match")      
   var hidden=app.getElementById("hidden");                  
   var start=Number(e.parameter.hidden)+1;//returns the last search index stored in the UI
   var item=e.parameter.item.toLowerCase(); // item to search for
   var txt0=app.getElementById("lab0");
   var txt1=app.getElementById("lab1").setStyleAttribute("background", "yellow");
   var txt2=app.getElementById("lab2");
   var txt3=app.getElementById("lab3");
   var link=app.getElementById('link').setText('').setHref('')
   var data = sh.getRange(2,2,lastrow,4).getValues();// get the 4 columns of data
       for(nn=start;nn<data.length;++nn){ ;// iterate trough
         if(data[nn].toString().toLowerCase().match(item.toString())==item.toString()&&item!=''){;// if a match is found in one of the 4 fields, break the loop and show results
          txt0.setText(nn+2);
          txt1.setText(data[nn][0]).setStyleAttribute("background", "cyan");
          txt2.setText(data[nn][1]);
          txt3.setText(data[nn][2]);
          link.setText(data[nn][3]).setHref(data[nn][3])
          sh.getRange(nn+2,2).activate();
          subbtn.setText("found '"+item+"' in row "+Number(nn+2)+", next ?");                                                                                               
          hidden.setValue(nn.toString())                                                                                  
          break
          }
      }
return app    ;// update UI
}// eof 05-12 Serge insas

MXMLLN · Answer 3 · 2015-12-06T11:31:56.707

I ended up using spreadsheet formulas to solve my problem instead. Specifically, I used the MATCH() function, which can look up a string in an array (in this case a column in another sheet in the same document).

This is significantly simpler than looping through an array, though less efficient and does not allow for full automation. In fact, when the column reached 2,000 entries, Google Drive froze so often, I had to start using Excel instead. Nevertheless, the Match() solution was more appropriate for what I was looking for.

Appreciate all the other responses though.

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 01 '12 at 12:47

1

You can "search" using the SpreadsheetAPI List Feed query parameter. This will return any row that matches using full word matching. Throw some asterisks around your parameter (URL encoded of course) and it becomes wildcard.

answered Jun 01 '12 at 12:47

mzimmerman

910
6
13

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 04 '19 at 01:56

1

I have not tried it, but it appears that the Google Visualization API Query Language will allow you to execute SQL queries against Google sheets.

answered Mar 04 '19 at 01:56

John Henckel

10,274
3
79
79

How do I search Google Spreadsheets?

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